The present invention relates to a novel compound 2',6'-dihydroxy-9-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)octylphenone and its use as an anti-oxidant.
Synthetic anti-oxidants for foodstuffs are known, such as dibutylhydroxytoluene (BHT for brevity) and butylhydroxyanisole (BHA for brevity). These compounds are, however, disadvantageous in that their amounts to be added to foodstuffs should be strictly controlled. For example, a maximum permissible content of BHT or BHA in fats and oils or in butter under the Japanese safety regulations must not exceed 0.02%, such limitation bringing about an insufficient anti-oxidative effect in some cases.
Besides the above named anti-oxidants for foodstuffs, several compounds have recently been proposed, for example .alpha.,.omega.-bis(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)alkanes having the structural formula ##STR1## (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 42-6973), and hexahydrocurcumin or octahydrocurcumin (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 48-39930). The compounds, however, have drawbacks in their synthesis and effectiveness. It is a recent trend that anti-oxidants originating in natural products are preferred to synthetic anti-oxidants as food additives from the standpoint of safety and taste. Unfortunately, however, very few natural anti-oxidants are known which can compare with synthetic ones in anti-oxidative activities, and it has been eagerly desired to develop highly anti-oxidative natural anti-oxidants.